OSHKOSH, Wis. -- The Monmouth College men's track team crowned a national champion Friday at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oshkosh, Wis. By the time the weekend is over, there may be more to follow.

Junior pole vaulter Peter Sprecher cleared 16'3-1/4 to claim the fifth national title in Fighting Scots' track history. His height tied the mark of John Heinz of UW-LaCrosse, but Heinz needed three tries to reach it, while Sprecher, who was ranked third entering the competition, cleared the winning mark on his second attempt.

"It was just a weird, twisting wind day," said MC coach Roger Haynes. "A lot of the guys were complaining and moaning about the conditions, but Peter switched to a smaller pole and stayed on the run he needed to make. His first height clearance really was the difference, so he was ready when he needed to be."

Sprecher joins Hall of Famers Eric Ealy and Charles Burton and two 2005 champs -- Zach Barr and Blake Boma -- as Monmouth athletes to place first at the national meet.

A second national title could come from the 4x400 team of seniors Dante Daniels, Tyler Rundle and Josh Reschke and sophomore Luke Reschke, whose preliminary time of 3:15.05 on Thursday gives them the No. 1 seed in Saturday's nine-team final. They were ranked fourth entering the meet.

"It'll be an interesting race," said Haynes. "Some of the other top teams have athletes who'll be competing in individual sprint finals earlier in the day. Our guys are really talking about pushing the pace early and getting Luke a nice lead for the final leg."

The younger Reschke is certainly capable of finishing a lap in a hurry, as he advanced in the 400-meter dash with a school-record time of 47.60 to break Burton's 16-year-old mark. Reschke, who had entered the meet ranked ninth with a top time of 47.91, is now ranked fifth of the nine finalists.

Haynes said that Reschke's strategy was to run as long as he could with two-time national champion Bobby Young of Lincoln, who won the heat in 47.13, the second-fastest time of the day. "Luke beat some kids he hadn't beaten all season, so it was a really big race for him."

Also on Friday, junior Megan Clennon earned her first All-American honors by placing fourth in the high jump. She was able to follow Haynes' advice of repeating the performance that earned her a trip to nationals by again clearing 5'5-3/4. Other competitors fell short of their season bests, allowing the 11th-seeded Clennon to rise seven spots.

"In many ways, that was the best one of the day," said Haynes. "It's a product of all the hard work she's put in and the mentality of her training. This can be just the start for her. I'm looking forward to what she can do next year."

Barr did not repeat his 2005 title, but the senior did close his brilliant Fighting Scot career with another All-American performance, taking fifth in the steeplechase in a season-best 9:03.20. By shaving more than six seconds off his qualifying time, he jumped from the No. 11 seed to his third and final All-American honor.

"He ran exactly how he had to run," said Haynes. "He pushed the pace in the middle and broke the pack in two. His time wasn't that far off what he ran to win it two years ago (a mere .01 slower), but this was just a quality field. Those were important points for us, and it was a very appropriate way for him to finish his career. I'm happy for him."

Monmouth is keeping a close eye on the men's point standings. A top four finish would give the Scots their first-ever team trophy from the national meet. Monmouth is currently in third place with 14 points. More points could follow from the 4x400, Reschke in the 400, senior Alex Stuart in the triple jump and senior Jeff Rebholz in the shot put. The meet's computer-generated predictor has revised its forecast to 31 points and a fourth-place for the Scots.

Monmouth's fourth All-American effort Friday came from junior pole vaulter Jessica White, who cleared 11'10-1/2 to tie for sixth. She joins Sprecher as the two Scots so far this season to be All-Americans in the same event indoors and outdoors. The 4x400 team, Stuart and Jeff Rebholz can add to that total tomorrow.
"Jess was well-prepared," said Haynes. "Although she was solid, I know she doesn't think she jumped her best. I think this was a good learning process for her and will help her be even more ready for the national meets next year."

Sophomore Shannon Turczyn, who was ranked 10th entering the meet, advanced to Saturday's final in the 100-meter hurdles by clocking the seventh-fastest time (14.69) in Friday's preliminaries. She will be looking for her second outdoor All-American honor in as many years in her signature event.

"It was a typical race for Shannon," said Haynes. "She was not as strong over the first few hurdles, but she charged hard through the middle hurdles. She dropped her time from the prelims to the final last year, and I look for her to do that again tomorrow."
Junior Zach Wilson qualified for the final of the hammer throw with a heave of 172'9, but he was unable to improve upon that mark on his last three attempts and finished ninth, just two inches shy of All-American honors.

A few other Scots saw their All-American hopes come to an end in the preliminary round, including the 4x100 team of Daniels, Rundle, Luke Reschke and sophomore Aaron Daverin, which did not finish their heat. Daniels also missed out on the 200-meter dash final despite breaking the school record with a time of 21.33 in the preliminaries. He needed to run 21.31 or faster to advance.

The senior speedster was also .02 shy of moving on in the 100-meter dash, finishing his heat in 10.78. The final qualifier ran 10.76.

"I was amazed last year when his 21.50 didn't make the finals, and even more so this year," said Haynes. "It's unbelievable, but he ran as fast as he's ever ran, so it's hard to complain about that."
Discus throwers Rebholz (139'1), Tanesha Hughes (132'6) and Jenny Babos (119'5) all missed out on advancing, as did junior pole vaulters Megan McKenna (11'4-1/2) and Jonny Henkins, who was injured while warming up.